Cessna 172N N73899

Summary

On 5 October 1997 at about 20:30 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N73899 was involved in an accident near Sandwich, Illinois, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 October 1997 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Sandwich, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Woodlake Landing (C48)

Coordinates

41.6396, -88.6204

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N73899

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI98LA005

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inability to maintain flying airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall/mush. A factor contributing to this accident was the wind gust.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

In an interview, the pilot stated that he obtained weather information from a television broadcast prior to his planned local flight. The winds were reported out of the south at 30 knots with gusts. The pilot said that while taxiing to the north/south grass runway the winds were strong, and immediately after the southbound takeoff it became 'gusty.' He opted to stay in the traffic pattern and re-land. The pilot recalled that while on final the flaps were extended 'one notch,' and the indicated airspeed was 65 knots. After reducing the power to idle just prior to the flare, the pilot stated that the airplane encountered a wind shear. He said a gust pitched the airplane up, then the wind abruptly stopped, causing the airplane to pitch nose down and collide with the runway. The nose gear separated from the airframe and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted. In an interview, the right seat passenger said that the approach seemed normal. The airplane leveled off over the runway, then floated for a little bit. He said the airplane then quickly nosed up then 'banged down.' He recalls the flaps extended 'one notch' prior to impact. Neither the pilot nor the passenger remembers hearing a stall warning.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.